Chapter 350 The Boulder City with Turbulent Undercurrents

   "Good morning, dear viewers, I am your dear House! Before breaking the news, please allow me to pay my highest respect to our great city lord!"

"Today Qingquan City is still calm. Out of fear of us, the group of primitive people with python tattooed on their faces began to flee eastward! What a pity, if they come to us, I would like to interview these mindless people The guy...going south? What do you think!"

"It's not just the marauders who are frightened by our mighty military power, but also our neighbors to the north. Those guys who were scrambling in the waves, and recently got bruised and swollen with the little minions in the north, are now hiding in the sewers and licking their wounds. "

   "It's really a group of poor people, tsk tsk. But recently, their brains have finally opened up, and they sent their city lord—that is, the lord of Dawn City, to our city hall to negotiate with us."

   "It seems that they finally realized that in the wasteland, relying on the strong is the way to survive!"

  On the bar counter of an unknown tavern, there was an old radio, and an exciting sound was drumming from the gray speakers.

   "The Voice of Boulder City" will always be the favorite program of the citizens of Boulder City. After all, there are only a few signals that can be heard on the wasteland.

The channel plays pre-war classical music 24 hours a day, and occasionally a piece or two of Mr. House's news or "getting rich" is inserted, which not only satisfies the needs of the citizens for fun, but also provides those who love to daydream. material of imagination.

However-

   Not everyone is happy with that high-pitched drake voice.

  Especially for those who are unhappy in life.

   "Can't this **** shut his beak?"

   After taking a sip of beer that was lighter than water, the man in the brown leather jacket muttered muffledly, the corners of his unshaven mouth twitching with anger.

  His name is Sberg.

   In Boulder, it's an insignificant name.

   And Mr. Sberger's work is as insignificant as his name, just an ordinary cannery worker.

  As for why I’m sitting here drinking at this hour…

   Naturally because he is about to lose his job.

   In Boulder City, canned food is not a popular commodity. The dignitaries won’t eat it, and ordinary residents can’t afford it.

   Only some large caravans and mercenary groups will purchase canned food to improve food and boost team morale.

  As for those mercenaries who fight alone, they are more willing to take on some close-distance daily work, and they will be done with dry food when they go out for two or three days. Although their spending power is not bad, they are more willing to spend money on wine and women.

  Because the profit margin is not high and the volume cannot increase, a group of food processing giants, including Weijia Commercial, simply look down on this business.

  In the entire Boulder City, there are only two small factories that produce canned food, and the varieties they introduce are only double-headed beef and hyena meat.

However…

   Recently, "instant noodles" and "ham sausage" suddenly appeared on the shelves of the store in Boulder City.

  The former, as the name suggests, is a kind of noodles that have been deep-fried and sold in paper cups. You can eat them after tearing off the lid and soaking them in boiling water for five minutes, or you can eat them directly without soaking them in boiling water.

  The latter does not know what kind of meat it is, and it tastes like it is stuffed with starch. However, it may be because of the addition of a lot of salt, but it is surprisingly delicious?

  In short, Sberg has never seen such a strange food, and he doesn't even think that it must be made by their neighbor next door.

  Since instant noodles and ham sausage entered Boulder City, their canned food has been completely sold out. When their boss finally realized the seriousness of the problem, the cannery was on the verge of closing.

  The boss gave all the workers a holiday and asked them to go home and wait for the notice.

  Sberg is very clear that although it is a vacation in name, it is actually no different from dismissal.

   It is only a matter of time before the cannery closes. While the equipment can still sell for some money, that fat guy will definitely sell it without hesitation.

   Now there are only two options left in front of Sberg.

   Either become a mercenary or a caravan guard, or try your luck in the northern suburbs.

  The threat to the north has just been lifted recently, and the trade route leading to the northern part of the River Valley Province has been restored. All major caravans and mercenary groups are recruiting people. No experience is required, as long as they can carry a gun, they can join.

  As for the northern suburbs, the demand for jobs there seems to have always been strong, but I heard that the rewards are not chips but their own "silver coins"?

   But no matter which option it is, it is difficult for Sberg to make up his mind.

   After all, no matter how poor he is, he still has a house in Boulder City that can protect him from wind and rain.

  However, once you leave the giant wall, it means entering the barbaric world where people eat people.

  He heard it on the radio. There are no law-abiding people outside the giant wall. Those uncivilized barbarians will catch civilized people and throw them into the frying pan.

  Thinking of this, he was so scared that he couldn't sleep all night.

this is too scary!

  …

   It is not just small characters like Sberg who are worried about the future of Boulder City.

  Since hearing that the Boulder City Hall will sign the "Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation" with the new alliance, Wei Jia has been insomnia all night.

  He doesn't care what rifles or cans are on the shelves of the store in Boulder City, but the existence of Didiwei Nutrition Cream has seriously threatened the business of Weijia Trading Company.

  The low price has even broken his cost line.

   It is no exaggeration to say that he closed the factory directly, imported nutrition cream from the northern suburbs and sold it to the south, earning more than what he produces now!

  This is simply too exaggerated!

  Are those country bumpkins opening factories for charity?

   "The guys at City Hall are a bunch of pigs! No... calling them pigs is flattering them!"

  In the magnificent room.

   Wei Jia, who was sitting at the long table, couldn't help cursing.

   This is the reception room of Weijia Commercial Bank, and all the bosses of major commercial firms are sitting here.

  Although everyone is a person of status, there is no need to take image into account here.

  Because everyone is very unhappy with the results of the city hall.

   "The funniest thing is... These pigs are so embarrassed to show off the so-called friendly agreement, thinking that they have done something great." The man in the high-necked shirt had obvious anger on his face.

  His name is Jonah, and he runs the largest cotton mill in Boulder City. The cotton cloth, padded clothes and shirts he produces not only occupy more than 60% of the market share in Boulder City, but are also exported to Jinchuan and Luoxia provinces.

  Since the beginning of the year, the group of hillbillies in the northern suburbs have also started to produce cotton cloth and clothing.

  At first, he didn't take it seriously, after all, one or two small workshops were not worth his worries.

   It didn't take long, however, for him to realize just how wrong he was.

  In just half a year, the clothing produced by the new alliance first occupied the bar in Boulder City, and then used the bar to conquer those mercenaries who were willing to spend money, and then took down the entire outer city.

  They make strong and durable gun bags, bulletproof vests and backpacks, as well as less durable outerwear or clothing.

   There are also stockings that can be worn as pants... He remembers that they are called black silk?

  Of course, it doesn’t have to be black, there are also white and other colors, even transparent.

   And it’s not even limited to socks.

  How did these unscrupulous guys come up with these obscene things.

   Jonah was very annoyed.

   What annoyed him in particular was that although his reason told him that that thing was the culprit for shrinking his wallet, he just couldn't control his eyes and hands.

  Another owner of the liquor business said equally annoyed.

   "And what about Nuka-Cola...Since that thing appeared, our brewery's orders have plummeted by 10%! It's crazy! What's so good about sugar water!"

  As several bigwigs spoke one after another, the chatterbox on the conference table was completely opened up.

  Everyone complained angrily.

   "They have been plundering our trade for half a year, but the guys in the city hall have done nothing!"

   "I really don't understand, we have cannons, planes, power armor, thousands of mercenaries and tens of thousands of reserves, why should we talk to them?"

   "Even if we don't need to dispatch the militia, we can easily crush those grasshoppers to death just by throwing some chips out!"

  Watching the boiling sound in front of the conference table, Wei Jia was expressionless.

  Originally, he organized today's meeting to call everyone together to discuss countermeasures, but unexpectedly it turned into a complaint meeting.

  Everyone is venting their grievances over the past six months, but no one can come up with a specific countermeasure.

  But he didn't stop everyone.

   Sometimes emotions are also a weapon.

  After brewing his emotions for a moment, Wei Jia put his hands on the table and slowly got up from the chair.

   Looking around at the crowd, he spoke.

  “I couldn’t figure out how they kept the cost so low.”

  Hearing these words, everyone sitting at the conference table fell silent.

   Pausing for a moment, Wei Jia continued.

"In particular, I have asked someone. The new alliance requires all factories to work for up to 12 hours a day, and the minimum hourly wage is 1 silver coin per hour. If you work for 12 hours, you have to pay at least 12 silver coins a day, which is converted into chips. Need 6! That's almost three times what we pay our workers!"

   "There is a problem with this statement. It is impossible for ordinary people to exchange silver coins for chips at will. They can only exchange chips for silver coins."

  A factory owner had a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

   It's like saying he's mean.

   To be reasonable, I have already filled the stomachs of those people, not only did I not put handcuffs on them, but even paid them wages.

   Isn't that kind enough?

  If it weren't for the low electricity and maintenance fees, he would have replaced the workers on the assembly line with those capable and capable bionics!

  Another factory owner also nodded.

   "I have also heard that there is a saying there, which seems to be called compulsory foreign exchange settlement? Export profits will be settled in the local currency, that is, those silver coins. Only when needed, can they be exchanged for foreign currency at the bank."

   "Isn't this too tricky!?"

   "No wonder... I had a friend who went to set up a factory there before and complained to me, saying that setting up a factory there is really a scam, and you can't make any money at all, and told me not to come."

  Everyone was talking about it.

  But at this moment, Wei Jia interrupted their words.

  "...That's what you say, but the money is real after all, right?"

  Everyone fell silent.

  Looking at the silent crowd, he continued.

   "If those silver coins are really waste paper, I believe that no matter how much they give, the workers will not be willing to take it, and the factories must have run away."

  Hearing this sentence, the factory owners sitting around fell silent, looking at Wei Jia with some confusion, not knowing why he wanted to speak for the new alliance.

   At this time, shouldn't everyone scold those cunning blue gophers together?

   Talking so much nonsense is to prove that they did not exploit workers, and to prove that silver coins are not waste paper. Does that mean that our business ability is not good enough?

   Who do you look down on!

  Seeing that the time is almost up, Wei Jia continued.

   "It was only later that I found out what the problem was."

"According to the research of my salesman, in the new alliance to set up a factory, the salary expenditure can be deducted from taxes. I deliberately calculated an account, as long as the work efficiency per unit time is guaranteed, although the salary cost will rise, the actual expenditure will be even higher. Low."

  This is equivalent to subsidizing part of the fiscal revenue obtained from the factory to workers in the form of tax rebates.

  Due to the rising consumption power of ordinary people, the light industry of the New Alliance is like a sponge that has absorbed water.

   And the factory run by those blue coats is even more outrageous. They seem to use a completely different system.

  Because of language barriers and differences in cultural customs, he still hasn't understood it.

   But this is not the point.

  The real point is, these people are playing dirty!

   Pausing for a moment, Wei Jia had an angry expression on her face, and gradually raised her voice.

   "More than that, they are also playing tricks on the exchange rate, forcing the exchange rate between silver coins and chips to be set at 2:1. This is not competition at all, and the consumer goods we produce cannot enter their market at all!"

   "As you can see, our factory can't compete with them, not because we are not hardworking enough, nor because our production methods are backward, but on the contrary, we are too honest, and our opponents are too cunning!"

  “They used evil means to **** the bargaining chips in our hands, watched our factories go bankrupt, and then threw out a lot of bargaining chips to plunder the wealth we accumulated over two centuries!”

  "From the very beginning, we didn't compete in a fair arena, but fell into their trap!"

  After hearing these words, many people had suddenly realized expressions on their faces, like waking up from a dream.

   Actually, they can’t be blamed for not thinking about it. The key is that this kind of thing has never happened before.

  Ideal city?

  The things there are indeed good enough, but there are too few that can flow to the south of the River Valley Province. One or two rare items are not a threat at all, and the other party doesn't think much of what they have in their hands.

Before the emergence of the new alliance, they were the only ones engaged in industrialization in the entire southern part of the River Valley Province. As for the survivor settlements such as Beit Street and Brown Farm, they could not even be considered opponents in front of them, at most they could be regarded as leek seedlings .

  As for the farmers in the south, they were just the objects of plunder by their factories.

   But now, a catfish sneaked into this clear water pond at some point.

  They vaguely sensed something was wrong. They felt that the warm pool suddenly became a little cold, and they felt that they couldn't exert their energy all over their bodies.

A factory that can't see any advantages, relying on second-hand equipment and those workers who were eliminated by them, produced a lot of cheap and easy-to-use "substitutes", and took away the market that originally belonged to them from them .

   It wasn't until they had heard Wei Jia's words that they suddenly came to their senses.

   Good guy!

  Relying on these "little cleverness", the other party has already plucked their wool for half a year!

  Now the city hall is smart enough to sign some kind of friendship and cooperation agreement, talking about expanding the scale of trade and strengthening non-governmental exchanges. They are about to sell them, and they have not recovered yet.

   Of course, that was before, and now they realize the problem.

  How bearable is this? !

  The people at the conference table could no longer sit still.

  Jonah, who had been silent since just now, stood up and punched the table angrily.

   "We must make this matter clear to Dulong!"

   "Either reduce the tax in the industrial zone, or tax the goods of the new alliance!"

   "Not just taxes! There are exchange rates!"

   Wei Jia continued speaking while the iron was hot.

   "In addition to taxes and exchange rates, we also need to expand the list of prohibited sales, stipulating what they can buy and what they can't buy! How to buy what they can buy!"

   "If our city hall isn't protecting our interests, what use is it?"

   "We should unite! Put pressure on those **** with brains full of crap! If our minister doesn't respond to our demands—"

  He dragged out his tone, glanced around at the allies present, and continued in a sonorous and forceful voice.

   “Let’s just give our employees a day off!”

  The voice fell, resonantly.

   The voices that support him are like a raging tide.

"support!"

"strongly support!"

"Count me in!"

  Looking at the indignant crowd, Wei Jia had a confident smile on her face.

  He didn't believe it.

   He can't mess with this signing!

  …

  Qingquan City, the edge of the North Fourth Ring Road.

  In an urban area full of ruins, a group of people are slowly advancing along the cracked concrete road.

  Soldiers wearing exoskeletons spread out around, carefully guarding the surrounding shadows.

  It is already summer, and the lush vegetation and the stagnant water in the ruins make the situation in the city extremely complicated.

  The season change system of "Wasteland OL" is as true as ever, but it seems to be the basic operation for various 3A masterpieces.

   "I always have an ominous premonition..." Fang Chang looked around, holding a rifle.

   Lao Bai who was walking aside made a joke.

   "How did you become a perception system?"

  Fang Chang rolled his eyes.

   "What does this have to do with the Perception Department? Do you think it's reasonable for such an important task not to happen?"

   "It makes sense for you to say that," Lao Bai nodded thoughtfully, "But speaking of which, it feels like something is missing when that kid Ye Shi isn't here."

   It's not just that Ye Shi is not here.

   The strong wind and smoking cessation are not there, and it feels like a lot of fun is lost in an instant.

  Thinking of this, Lao Bai couldn't help but have a strange expression on his face.

   If this wasn't a game, those three guys might never come back...

   Right at this moment, the voice of his teammates came from the communication channel. It was the scouting team he had sent to scout ahead.

   "... 500 meters ahead, unidentified armed forces were found. There were about twenty people. The weapons were automatic rifles and other light weapons. A heavy machine gun was found."

   At this moment, Lao Bai's footsteps suddenly stopped, and his eyes gradually became sharper.

   Noticing the change in the expression on Lao Bai's face, Fang Chang cast him a questioning look.

   "Is there a situation?"

   Clenching his right fist and making a gesture, Lao Bai loaded the rifle in his hand neatly.

   "Come to live."

-

   (After hanging the last bag of water today, I don’t need to go to the hospital tomorrow T.T)

  (end of this chapter)